Beta: ShadowMeister234
Yang's plan was extraordinarily simple. She had goaded Pyrrha into believing that she and Jaune were having a training session. Of course, there had never been such an event planned. The logic was that if the mannequin showed up to attack it would prove Pyrrha was the one controlling it as she was the only one who would know about the spar.
To put it mildly, Jaune did not have nearly as much faith in this scheme as Yang seemed to. The most obvious flaw was the high probability that the mannequin just wouldn't show up which wouldn't prove Pyrrha's guilt or innocence either way. Even if Pyrrha was the culprit, she probably still wouldn't send the mannequin because all evidence pointed to her having a functioning brain.
Did Yang seriously believe anyone would fall for such obvious bait? If Jaune was in the same position, he would ignore the training session entirely and wait for another opportunity. When he brought this up with Yang, she had assured him with 100% certainty that this wasn't something Pyrrha could ignore. Now, being generous and supposing Pyrrha really just couldn't help herself from invading their fake training session, nothing was stopping her from just showing up herself. That would only muddy the waters to her supposed guilt as they couldn't be sure if she was plotting something against them, or if she genuinely did just want to train with them and wasn't afraid to force herself onto them.
Still, it wasn't like Jaune had anything better at the moment, so he and Emerald had marched their way to the training rooms in preparation for this fake spar. While he waited for Yang to show up, he took a glance at the silver lines etched on his arm, having dedicated himself to keeping a closer eye on their progress. Out of the eight he originally had, only one remained in full. The two he had practiced with were still only a quarter of the way up, and the five he used against the mannequin were barely visible below his elbow. It was a bit too early to make any concrete claims, but from what Jaune had observed so far it seemed that whatever power was recharging the markings it wasn't tied to each line individually but split between all of them. Practically, this meant that the more light spears he used the longer it would take for them all to charge. Worse, the lines he had used for practice last night hadn't budged at all since the mannequin fight leading him to believe they wouldn't until the other five matched their distance. Of course, that was an optimistic take. He might have accidentally broken them for good, but assuming he hadn't and his intuition was correct, he could calculate that each line took a full day to recharge since one night had charged two lines a quarter of the way. That left him in the awkward position of waiting about six and a half days before he would regain the majority of his silver spears.
In other, shorter words, Jaune only had one more light spear in his arsenal for the entire week. Definitely not ideal and something he'd have to avoid doing in the future.
The tapping of Emerald's shoes grabbed his attention. "Yang's late," she said.
Jaune looked at the clock and two minutes had passed since their scheduled meeting time. Under normal circumstances, that would be nothing to worry about, but these were not normal circumstances. All things considered, Yang really should have been here early. "We should go look for her."
Emerald agreed immediately. They both knew that there was a strong possibility Yang had been attacked. Possibility quickly turned into certainty, however, as someone crashed through the training room wall that connected it to the hallway. The person wasn't Yang, but a boy with a green mohawk.
"Russel, are you okay?" another male voice called out from the hallways.
"I'm good," the newly identified student replied, although from the way he held his side as he picked himself off the ground he wasn't doing as good as he claimed. A moment later another guy jumped through the hole in the wall quickly followed by Yang. Behind them a familiar-looking mass of stark white branching stumps pierced the side of the hole, turning parts of it transparent, before retracting.
"Sorry we're late," Yang panted, "we ran into some trouble."
"I can see that." Jaune summoned his sword while Emerald got into a crouched stance slightly in front of him. The entire group was ready for a fight, but Jaune knew that fighting this thing would be pointless. Whatever damage they ended up doing would just add to the imaginary friend's arsenal. The best plan would be to wait for it to launch one of its attacks and run past it while it took the time to recover.
Jaune waited for the mannequin to round the corner and come through the hole…and waited…and waited.
It didn't come.
Eventually after an entire minute of standing in battle formation looking like idiots, Emerald took the risk of peeking her head out of the hole to look into the hallway. "There's nothing here."
"Well, isn't that anti-climactic," Jaune said. Destroying a part of the wall probably broke whatever separated space it created and it had decided to flee just like it had when Jaune had broken out of the kitchen.
"Speak for yourself," Russel complained as he lowered his weapons in relief. "We've been fighting that thing for the last ten minutes and no one came to help." He clutched his side again. "I also think it cracked my ribs."
"Come on, You're a strong dude. You'll be fine." Yang slapped Russel on the back so hard the poor guy nearly rolled over.
"Who are these two?" Jaune asked.
Yang smiled. "These are my teammates Russel and Sky. I took your advice and asked them to escort me. Good thing I did. They really helped me out with that fight."
"More like you put us between you and that thing as your human shields!" Sky yelled.
"Well, what else did you want me to do? I can't really fight with my arm the way it is."
"Then why did you schedule a training match? And who are these two? And what was that thing? Can someone please give me an explanation?"
"Basically all you need to know is the thing that just attacked us is what's been causing these messes around Beacon, and we're trying to stop it."
"Wait, so you knew we might get attacked?" Sky protested. "Why didn't you warn us?"
Yang placed her one good hand on her hip and tilted her upper body towards them. "I did. I told you to bring your weapons and prepare for a fight."
"Yeah, a fight as in a sparring match. I didn't expect to be ambushed by a living bullhead crash dummy."
"If I had told you the truth, would you have believed me?"
Russel stepped up to answer for both of them. "With the other attacks that have happened recently. Yes, we would have believed you."
Yang frowned. "Then let me put it another way. If I had told you two beforehand, would you have come with me, or would you have convinced me not to and told the teachers?"
Sky struggled to look Yang in the eyes which was a shame since by most accounts telling the teachers would be the correct course of action. Russel placed a comforting hand on Sky's shoulders. "I think why my partner here is getting so worked up is because it's starting to feel like you're treating us the same way as our dear missing leader, and I can't say I blame him."
Yang flinched back like she had been physically attacked. "I'm not like her at all! Sure, I might not be telling you everything, but I'm still communicating with you two. I'm not staying out all night without saying anything, and when I did need help, I asked the two of you. That's why I brought you with me because I knew you'd be able to protect me."
Both boys blushed at the naked praise. It was a cute scene, but whatever drama was happening with Yang's team could be handled somewhere else. Jaune didn't want any part of it. "Let's get back on track. Yang, can you tell us what happened with you and the mannequin?"
"There's not much to say. We were ambushed on the way here and it fought exactly how you described. Since I knew it would be a bad idea to try and destroy it, we ran away until we got here and it slammed Russel through the wall, but what's important is that I was right. Pyrrha is the culprit."
Sky and Russel were visibly confused while Yang was basking in being proven right. Jaune wasn't so sure though. If they were attacked on the way, the culprit didn't necessarily need to know where they were heading. They could have been lying in wait outside of Yang's dorm room.
"Did anyone see you on the way here?" Jaune asked.
"No, I was very careful about that. I even sent Sky out to scout ahead to make sure nobody was there. No one knew I was coming here besides you two and Pyrrha."
Really? Because Jaune could think of two very clear exceptions. By asking her teammates to come along Yang had brought in quite a bit of uncertainty into the equation. It wasn't impossible that one of them was the culprit, and even if they weren't they might have accidentally let something slip.
Unfortunately, Yang saw Jaune's suspicious gaze and quickly put together what it meant. "It's not Russel or Sky. I didn't tell them anything until right before we left. They wouldn't have had any time to do anything."
"I'm not saying they did," he defended. "I'm just thinking of possibilities."
"Possibilities other than me being right!" Yang's anger was quickly rising. "Why are you so intent on defending Pyrrha?"
Because it was too strange for Pyrrha to give herself away like this. It was so obvious that it felt like a setup, but if Yang was this certain that no one else could have known then there was no point arguing over it. "You're right. I'm sorry for doubting you," he apologized. "Maybe I'm just trying to make this more complicated than it needs to be."
As usual, Yang's anger was as quick to fade as it was to light. "Thank you, I'm glad you see it my way," she said with smug superiority. "So what are we going to do now that we know it's Pyrrha?"
"There's only one thing we can do. An imaginary friend can only be dispelled by the person who created it, so I'm just going to have to talk to her?"
Yang gasped, Emerald grabbed his arm, and simultaneously both girls yelled, "Are you crazy!"
"What are you talking about? It's our only option and it's not like we can send anyone else to talk to her. She barely knows who Emerald is and Yang already pissed her off. Besides, we already know that she's oddly attracted to me so I have the best chance."
"That might be true," Yang said, "but Pyrrha's also the culprit. I don't think it's a good idea to just confront her. Even without her imaginary friend, she's still a champion fighter. What if she tries to kill you." Emerald nodded vigorously in support.
"Would you two relax. I'm not just going to charge right in there. I have a plan."
Before he could say anything further, he was loudly interrupted. "Um I know the three of you are having a moment, but can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Sky asked.
Yang was quick to shoo him away. "I'll tell you later. When we're back at the dorm. Now about this plan."
Jaune approached the door to Pyrrha's dorm. He felt like he should have been more nervous about this, yet he wasn't even sweating. No matter how much Yang insisted and Emerald worried, Jaune just couldn't picture Pyrrha attacking him. Their interactions might have been brief but Pyrrha did genuinely seem like a nice and caring girl. Of course, he might be the one in the wrong and he was just being blinded by his biases. That's what this talk was for. It wasn't just a chance to speak with her but also to determine if she really is the culprit Yang suspects her of being. One way or another, Jaune wasn't leaving until he found his answer.
He knocked on the door with the back of his fist. "Pyrrha, are you in there? It's Jaune Arc." He heard sudden shuffling from the dorm room as if someone had thrown themselves off their bed and was running laps around the room. A moment later the door opened and Pyrrha was there to greet him with a smile.
"Jaune, I didn't expect you. Weren't you training with Yang?" Try as she might, Pyrrha couldn't stop the hint of bitterness in her voice. Did it really come from her jealousy over Yang, or was it from seeing that he was still alive?
"We just finished, but I heard that you wanted to come and Yang pushed you away." He rubbed the back of his hair. "I wanted to come here and maybe make it up to you a bit."
Pyrrha's smile changed from just happy to radiant. "Please don't worry about that. I understand why Yang wouldn't want me there. With her broken arm sparring against me would only risk injuring her further."
Jaune didn't miss that Pyrrha was implying she was too much for Yang to handle. "That's very kind of you. Do you mind if I come in?"
Pyrrha blushed slightly as she quickly moved out of his way. "Of course not. Please feel free to make yourself at home."
Jaune stayed still for a few seconds as if he had just spaced out before finally entering the room and letting Pyrrha close the door behind him. The dorm room she lived in was pretty bland with little more than four beds and four desks. There were some touches of personality like posters and other items scattered around the room, but the section that Pyrrha led him to had no such things. She sat on what he assumed was her bed and invited him to do the same.
He sat a respectable distance away from her, but she was quick to close that gap until their legs were basically touching. "Where are your teammates?" he asked her.
Pyrrha almost seemed confused by the question. "Oh, them. They went out to Vale to celebrate the Vytal festival. Our team is the favorite to win the tournament, so I guess they're excited."
"Why didn't you go with them?"
Jaune could feel her tense up beside him. "Going out and partying really just isn't my thing, and like I said, My team and I don't really have anything in common. It would just be awkward if I went with them."
"But if you don't hang out with them, that awkwardness will never go away. If you go out with them enough, eventually it won't be awkward anymore."
Pyrrha sighed. "I suppose you're right, but the truth is I don't want to get closer to them."
"Is it because you're a celebrity and they're not." If Jaune was going to get any information he'd have to strike at the core of the issue, and Yang had been pretty clear that Pyrrha's current status was it.
"You don't have to make it sound so cold," Pyrrha grumbled. "It's not like I think they're beneath me or that being with them would hurt my image, but before we even met they already had opinions and ideas about me. They weren't interested in getting to know me because in their heads they already did. I was Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, dominating the arena and crushing opponents. They didn't care to know anything outside of that."
Jaune narrowed his eyes. "Did you even give them a chance?"
Pyrrha just smirked. "When we moved into our dorm one of the first things my partner did was ask for my picture and autograph. Then another one of my teammates told me I shouldn't do that because we can sell stuff like that and have gourmet dinners every night. In class the next day, I heard them bragging to some girls that they were on the same team as me and that if any of them were interested they could set up a meeting. They only ever see me as a ticket to help them reach their own goals." She rested her head on Jaune's arm and closed her eyes like she was drifting off to sleep. "But you weren't like that. You treated me like a normal person and had a normal conversation. It's been so long since I've had one of those I forgot what they felt like. I was worried that when Yang told you I was a celebrity you'd change how you talked to me, but here you are." She giggled.
"If you found out I was a celebrity, would you treat me any differently? I already knew you, at least a bit, so I didn't put any expectations on you."
"I guess you're right, and I'm so thankful for it." She snuggled up against his side even more like she was a cat trying to get its owner's owner's attention. Jaune wouldn't call it seduction, but Pyrrha was clearly trying to be intimate and hoping he might respond. Very strange for a girl that was allegedly trying to kill him.
"Surely there are other people that would treat you normally though. Beacon is a big place with some pretty big names. Doesn't Weiss Schnee go here? Maybe she's dealing with the same stuff and the two of you could get along."
Pyrrha puckered like she had swallowed a lemon. "Ugh, that girl is the same as everyone else. Only thinking about how to boost her popularity and prestige."
"But she gets along with her teammates from what I hear. What do you think about them?"
"Her teammates? You mean like Cardin and Ren…" Pyrrha's eyes snapped open and her body shot up. "Ren was the victim of the attack you're investigating. Are you trying to get information on him?"
Jaune began to sweat realizing he had been too obvious. He didn't think Pyrrha would be this sharp especially with the way she was acting around him. "Um, that wasn't really my intention. I guess I just have work on the brain. If you do know anything about him though, I'd love to hear it."
"Does this mean you're letting me help with the investigation?"
"In a way, I guess I am."
Pyrrha smiled and returned to her spot leaning against his side. "I don't know that much about him. He was quiet and kept to himself for the most part, but his partner more than made up for that. Nora was all over him every second of every day. I wish I knew what he did to get her so interested in him. All he does is ignore her, yet she's always by his side. What did he do to get a friend like her? Why is it so easy for him?"
"Some people are just like that. Although from what I've heard, it seems like Nora is the one that decided it. Not the other way around."
Pyrrha stared off into the distance for a bit. "Do you think that if you had been accepted into Beacon this year the two of us could have been friends?"
Jaune was suddenly hit with the realization that he was seeing a side to Pyrrha that few people probably ever did. The Invincible Girl had to be strong and courageous. This girl was lonely and tried latching onto the first person she felt understood her or at least didn't misunderstand her. It didn't need to be him. Anyone could have taken this position, but the fact that it was him meant he had a responsibility towards her. He wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder and brought her even closer. "There's no point in thinking about what could have happened because we're already friends."
He didn't look but he was sure her eyes were tearing up. "Thank you," she whispered.
Jaune let them sit there for a bit just enjoying the quiet before giving Pyrrha's shoulder a soft squeeze. "I might be out of line asking this, but something is bothering you isn't there. Something more than just your celebrity status." This was it. If Pyrrha was trying to kill him there would be no misunderstanding his accusation.
Pyrrha was silent for a long time until she eventually released a sigh that sounded more suited for an old woman than a teenage girl. "I've been offered… an opportunity. Accepting it will put me on a pedestal even higher than I'm on now. I can kiss any chance at a normal life goodbye forever, but I'll also be able to help and save so many people. I would be the hero I always dreamed of being, but I don't know if I'm willing to make the sacrifice to get there."
She was being vague probably on purpose, but no matter how Jaune looked at it this didn't seem to have anything to do with the imaginary friend or the attacks. Whatever Pyrrha was dealing with was a separate issue. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that for you. The only person who knows the correct answer is you."
"I don't though!" Pyrrha wailed, the tears running free and her demeanor coming completely undone. "That's the problem. I have no idea what the right answer is."
Jaune rubbed the hair on the top of her head like he remembered his mom doing for him whenever he was worried about something. "I think you do know. You're just worried about what everyone else thinks you should do. Just think about what you want and tell everyone else to get lost."
A small smile broke through her tears. "Wouldn't that be amazingly selfish of me?"
Jaune laughed. "So what, you've been selfless long enough. You don't have to force yourself to help everyone just because you think you should. I should know. I did some very stupid things trying to save someone I barely knew because of guilt, and while it all worked out in the end it very easily could have cost me my life. Luckily, I had a wonderful partner that was willing to follow my braindead self through it all."
"It must be nice to have someone like that."
"It is and I'm sure you'll find your someone as well no matter what you decide to do." Jaune got up from the bed. "I think I'm going to take my leave now. I have some things to do and I have a feeling you'd like to be alone with your thoughts right now."
Pyrrha wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I think that's true. Thank you for talking to me."
Jaune stayed in the open doorway as he turned back to the red-haired girl. "No problem. If you need anything else feel free to talk to me." The door shut quietly behind him.
Immediately, Emerald appeared, popping in from nothingness. "What a slut," she sneered. "She was all over you—and you encouraged it!"
"Don't be jealous." Jaune placed his arm around Emerald's waist and pulled her to his side. He even gave her a quick peck on the cheek for good measure. He wouldn't say it made her happy with him, but she did lean into his side with contentment. "By the way, why did you make yourself invisible to me too?"
"I just didn't want you to be tempted to look at me. Even when it comes to the little things, the less obvious the better."
"Then did you find them?"
"No, if Pyrrha has those library journals then they're either not in her room or so well hidden that not even I, a professional thief, can find them."
"So, do you think she has them?"
Emerald sighed. "Honestly, I don't. Yang's reasoning made a lot of sense, and the evidence is strong, but after seeing her practically mold herself onto you, I can't imagine she would ever try to kill you."
"That's good. Means I don't have to be the one in the wrong anymore because Pyrrha is definitely the culprit."
"What!" Emerald broke out of his hold and spun around to face him. "But you were the one that was most protective of her."
Jaune shrugged. "That was before I got a chance to really talk with her. I've changed my opinion."
"How! I didn't hear her say anything incriminating."
Jaune was enjoying how flustered Emerald was getting. It wasn't often he got to experience it. "Then you must not have been paying enough attention, but maybe one day you'll be as great as me."
Emerald elbowed him painfully in the side. "Explain right now, and why are you so cheerful about this? If she is the culprit, she could have killed you."
Jaune caught his breath after it had been knocked out of him. "She wouldn't have done that. While she might be the culprit I don't think she's really in control of what's been happening."
A very potent stare coming from Emerald told Jaune that if he didn't stop dancing around the subject soon there'd be hell to pay. "Remember when I said imaginary friends are formed from their creators' insecurity and doubts. Well, Pyrrha pretty much spelled it out that her doubts come from her position as the Invincible Girl. That explains why this thing is so damn strong. Pyrrha sees herself as invincible thus her imaginary friend is too."
"Even if it fits, that doesn't prove it's her. Why would she order it to attack Ren and then the kitchen if she's just worried about being a celebrity?"
"That's the thing. I don't think she's ordering it to do anything. In fact, I don't think she even knows she has an imaginary friend, and that it's only reacting to her thoughts and her will. That's why these attacks seem so random and illogical. Ren was attacked because Pyrrha was jealous of him. The kitchen was attacked because she wanted to train with me that morning. Yang was attacked because Pyrrha was angry with her. I'm not exactly sure why her training room was destroyed but it was probably for similar reasons."
"But I thought you said the creator of an imaginary friend has a lot of control over it?" Emerald questioned.
"They can but that doesn't mean they have to. Imaginary friends do have some amount of autonomy."
"So you're saying everything that's been happening so far has just been one big accident?"
Jaune nodded. "It fills out a lot of holes in our theory. It just makes too much sense, and Yang did prove that Pyrrha was the only one that could have known about our training session."
"Then are we going to tell her?"
"No, telling Pyrrha that she's responsible for what's been happening is likely to make things worse, not better. To get rid of the imaginary friend we have to get rid of the insecurities that created it in the first place. Pyrrha's imaginary friend was created from the isolation she feels as the Invincible Girl. All we have to do is prove she isn't as invincible as she thinks she is."
Emerald stopped dead in her tracks. "Please tell me you're not suggesting what I think you are."
Jaune returned Emerald's frown with a smile. "I think it's about time for the four-time Mistral champion to suffer her first official defeat."
"And how do you expect to do that?" Emerald ranted. "Pyrrha didn't win all those tournaments through luck. Sure, you, I, and Yang combined might stand a chance but I doubt Pyrrha would consider a loss in such an unbalanced fight as a blow to her image."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll beat her myself."
Red eyes narrowed dangerously as if she was expecting him to hit her with the punchline of his joke. "Really, you're going to defeat Pyrrha Nikos in a fair fight. You do realize that just because she likes you doesn't mean she'll go easy on you."
"Who said anything about a fair fight? In pure combat skills I might pale in comparison to her, but I have other talents that she might find harder to deal with." Jaune opened his hand to summon his journal. "It doesn't have to be a fair fight, it just has to look it."
Emerald looked at the journal with suspicion. "And you're sure doing this will cause the imaginary friend to disappear?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure, but I think this is our best bet." Jaune leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Unless you want me to try forming a committed relationship with her. A little bit of Jaune Arc love might be able to remove the loneliness she feels."
There was murder in Emerald's eyes as she heard that. "How can I help take this bitch down?"
Glynda Goodwitch stood in the practice arena surrounded by stands of students from four different kingdoms. "Good morning class, as I'm sure you're all aware the Vytal festival tournament begins tomorrow, so this will be our last combat class. Please keep in mind that while you are allowed and even encouraged to train on your own time, do not go overboard. Someone has already blown a hole in the wall of one of Beacon's training rooms." Goodwitch's eyes glared at the crowd of students as if hoping someone would confess. When it was clear no one would, she moved on. "Today's class will be a free spar. Anyone who would like to fight is welcome to volunteer."
As usual, no one did. For students that were dedicated to fighting for humanity, they sure were unwilling to show it off. Some may have had valid reasons like not wanting to reveal their skills to the competition so close to the tournament, but the majority were probably just nervous or afraid of standing out in front of their peers.
Goodwitch was about to choose participants herself when an unfamiliar voice spoke up. "I'll fight." Glynda and the rest of the crowd turn to face a tall blond-haired boy with a sword in his hand.
Glynda recognized him as the cook involved in the cafeteria incident, but she could only just barely remember his name. "Mr. Arc, I'm sorry to say that you cannot participate in this class."
Jaune seemed to ignore her—something people seldom did—as he walked down the stands. "But you said anyone was welcome to volunteer."
"I meant anyone who is a student. As I'm sure you know."
The boy had the nerve to hop into the arena and take a starting position. "I know, but it didn't seem like anyone else was interested. Just let me fight, I've been so bored since the kitchen closed down."
"Mr. Arc this is not a game for you to—"
"Also. I'd like to go against Pyrrha Nikos if that would be possible."
Murmurs broke out throughout the crowd. No one had dared to challenge Pyrrha after she had easily destroyed an entire third-year team back when the school year had just begun. Since then Pyrrha hardly ever fought unless Goodwitch called on her. For a simple cook to put down such a challenge was ridiculous. Which was why the murmurs turned into full-blown gossip when the champion stood up and said she'd do it.
Glynda could not believe what she was seeing. Never in all her time at Beacon had something like this happened. The correct answer would be to put a stop to this farce, but what would that accomplish. She'd be back in the same position as before, and if the excited whispering from the students were anything to go by, stopping this fight would only make them disinterested and unengaged for the rest of the class. Furrowing her brow, Glynda made a decision. If Mr. Arc was so intent on making a fool out of himself then she would let him. She just hoped the other students might be able to learn something from this mess.
"Fine, Miss Nikos please go to the locker room and change into your gear. As for you Mr. Arc, be aware that while I might be allowing this I will be having words with the headmaster over this unacceptable behavior."
"Understood." All Glynda could see from Jaune was an easy-going smile, but on the inside, it was taking all of Jaune's willpower to not run away and curl up in a corner. This woman had a glare that could melt metal.
Eventually, Pyrrha came back looking exactly like the champion she was, her bronze armor was practically shining. She took her starting position and locked eyes with him. "Are you sure you want to do this?
"Little late to back out now, but don't worry I have a feeling I'll be just fine."
Pyrrha giggled. "I know you're doing this to make me happy for what Yang did, but if you think I'm going to let you beat me that easily then you're going to be disappointed."
"We'll see."
"If you two are done chatting, are you ready to start?" Goodwitch announced.
"Yes."
"Of course."
"Then begin!"
Right after the words were said and before Pyrrha could even leave her starting position the ground beneath her violently exploded sending Pyrrha flying across the arena and smoke into the air.
Jaune just watched with a smile. People were going to remember this day for a long time.
Excerpt from the book (Jaune's notes)
I've already explained many of the unique attributes of Pyrrha Nikos' imaginary friend, but there are some secondary attributes that I can only speculate about. The transparent property materials took on when pierced by the imaginary friend, I suspect relates to Pyrrha's desire to be invisible or possibly her ideas that people see through her. The imaginary friend's other power of being able to create its own space in time has a much easier explanation of Pyrrha not wanting to be caught by people or cameras. That might also be an explanation for why it's so quick to flee whenever that space is disturbed.
It is strange though that such a perfect set of abilities to remain undetected at Beacon would form simply because of coincidence.